‘The Monett Way’ unveiled for Monett schools as school year nears

A new theme for the Monett schools, packaged as The Monett Way, was unveiled by new Assistant Superintendent Dr. Isaac Sooter for the Monett school board on July 31, and shared with the faculty at the opening day rally on Aug. 11.
Sooter said that as he began his new position, he met with staff individually, asked about what worked well in Monett, and where they found gaps. He spent February, March and April in meetings, processing what he heard. He concluded, “We don’t need a new initiative. I’m not coming in with something new. What we need is clarity, consistency, and courage.”
For clarity, he said the district needed a clear reflection of what the actual process is for the work of the district. The previous perception of the district’s organizational chart, outlining who actually answers to whom, has been vague and did not clearly reflect how information and responsibility travels.
For consistency, Sooter noted multiple buildings have developed their own systems. Not everything needed to be done the same way, but some tasks needed an overarching predictability. As for courage, he observed, “It’s difficult in 2025 to be a leader. Being a leader is hard.” He said teachers can turn to their building improvement teams for direction. His role would be as “bringing calm to any chaos, clarity to the work, and courage to lead when it’s hard.”
“Student focused, future driven,” the district’s motto, he continued, is a tagline, “what we’re anchored in, an aspiration. What’s more important is what we’re doing. Monett is going to be a model of student excellence, building future-ready skills and strong relationships.” This fits into Monett’s learning culture, what Sooter wants to label The Monett Way, “how we collaborate, commit, and connect.”
The building blocks of this process will include developing the Profile of a Cub, something previously done at the high school but allowed to lapse. Sooter stressed that’s “not all about content and curriculum,” but extends to skills that will stay with students for a lifetime, teaching them how to be a learner, thinker, communicator, collaborator, and citizen.
“We want everyone leaving Monett to have these skills,” he said. “If we are effective and they have these skills, they can be successful.”
Sooter saw this process as “leading with a purpose, grounded in values.” That meant trust, honesty, and a commitment to all students, demonstrated by every adult, from teachers to coaches to bus drivers and office staff. “Center every decision on student success. We want students to push themselves,” he said.
This also means acting with positive intent, building strong relationships and joyful work. “Prioritize human connection,” he continued, noting that cell phones reduce connection and that leads to an unhealthy environment when people become disconnected.
 “We want people to enjoy coming to work every day. You have to have courage in this job. Do you do what’s easy or what’s right?” he challenged.
As part of that process, Sooter observed the district has not had a formal way to recognize teachers officially. That has been left up to the Community Teachers Association. To align with the district’s values, Sooter plans to start a Teacher of the Month, and a Staff Person of the Month, pushing that acknowledgement out on social media. Nominations can come from students, teachers, or those in the community. At the end of the year, the district will host a general recognition that will be known as The Cubbies, slated for April 25, 2026, at the City Park Casino. That event will involve the Monett Area Chamber of Commerce and will announce a district Teacher of the Year, Staff of the Year, and Partner of the Year, as well as recognize retirees.
In summary, Sooter said he wants to build a leadership dashboard for streamlined information, a building principals’ playbook, a leadership framework for administrators, an administration team playbook, a walk-through focus and labs for principal support, leadership pulse surveys for real-time responsiveness, restructuring administrative meetings, a new organizational chart, an end-of-the-year awards night, and monthly teacher meetings.
“What do we want?” he asked, answering, “a mission to accomplish, a culture to embrace, a place to grow, and people to enjoy. This is a two-way street. No job can grow a person if they don’t want to grow. We want to provide an opportunity to grow. The heart of my back-to-school message is we’re united around a mission, grounded in culture, and building it all together.”